


Pizza is better than people but that's not exactly saying much.

by lindenwaverly



Category: Young Avengers
Genre: AU, AU - Pizza Place, Alternate Universe, F/F, Fluff, rated teen for language basically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-14
Updated: 2014-06-14
Packaged: 2018-02-04 16:29:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1785778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lindenwaverly/pseuds/lindenwaverly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This came out of a dumb conversation about why the food industry AU was only limited to coffee shops and ended with a 3 a:m pizza place Young Avengers AU and I don't know how this happened.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pizza is better than people but that's not exactly saying much.

“Clint,” says Kate, cradling the phone with her shoulder and trying not to catch Teddy’s eye because she really doesn’t need to be reminded of how amusing the others find her pet trainwreck, “This is the fifth pizza you’ve ordered this week. Start eating normal food. At, y’know, normal hours.”

“The fact that you currently have a job is evidence that 2 a:m is a perfectly normal hour for eating,” says Clint.

“Yeah, if you’re coming home from a night out, not if you’re sitting at home watching reality TV. Which is what you’re doing, right? You haven’t gone out, have you? Clint?”

“Relax, Katie-Kate. I’m in my boxers, and I only stayed up this late because Bride Wars was on. Now are you going to make me a pizza or not? Because your website promises delivery five minutes after you call, and this chat has already taken thirty seconds.”

“You’re an ass.”

“Ham and pineapple, please.”

“An ass with terrible taste.”

America is still smirking at her when she hangs up, and even David is looking kind of amused, which she’s fairly sure he hasn’t done since David Tennant left Doctor Who.

“I love your life,” says Billy. “Like, really.”

“If you’re done finding Clint amusing, we have a ham and anchovy pizza to make.”

“I swear he said pineapple,” says Loki.

“Ok, one – it’s weird that you heard that and two – I am a vengeful and petty god in the pizza kitchen.”

Noh leaps off the counter which he’s totally not meant to be sitting on (she should probably remember to tell him that sometimes). “I’ll go warm up the bike.”

Loki makes an irritated gesture with the brush from his nail polish. “How come he’s always the one who gets to drive the bike?”

“Because it’s his bike,” Kate snaps, and she’s fairly sure she can feel a headache coming on. Or a heart attack. Or something. “Anyway, I’s not like you’re going to do the cooking. I swear you start painting your nails just to have an excuse not to help. And Noh, you don’t need five minutes to warm up your bike. You can help cook.”

“It’s fine,” said David, his face covered in flour and exasperation. “I’ve got this.”

“He could use the time to find a shirt,” says America. Kate wheels around, checks again and sighs because – “Noh, why aren’t you wearing a shirt?”

He shrugs. “The kitchen’s hot. Anyway the apron covers me.”

“Hey,” says Teddy. “I’m fairly sure shirtless Noh is encouraging business – ow, Billy!”.

“You deserved that,” says America.

“Totally,” says Loki.

Kate rubs her head. “This is all well and good, but it’s not solving the shirt problem.”

America holds out a bundle of cloth. “Here. He can have mine. It’s fairly big, and it’s unisex anyway.”

Kate gulps and does a double take but yeah, America’s jacket (which is totally against regulation and which she refuses to wear an apron over because none of them dare argue with her about it) is zipped all the way up.

Loki’s eyebrows are about to invade his hairline. “How did she do that? I mean, she didn’t move and then her clothes just – “

America shrugs. “Girl magic. Now put a fucking shirt on, Noh. Kate needs to feed her – what is he?”

Everyone opens their mouths and Kate holds up a hand to stop them before someone says something insulting and she’s forced to throw a knife at them. “Don’t try and define it. Just get the man his pizza before he gets bored and jumps through his window again.”

*

When they do get people in, they’re mostly off their tits on something or other and they have to get Billy or Teddy to serve them because America and David point blank refuse, Loki’s sarcasm goes right over their heads, and Noh has a tendency to get adopted by groups of drunk people and dragged off to all night raves. But mostly it’s just the seven of them – which, yeah, is a ridiculous number of people for one late night/early morning pizza place shift, but technically it’s two shifts that just kind of smooshed.

Tuesday night is theme night, which is a game Loki thought up in one of his more sadistic moments. The themes are always super subtle – stripes, purple, Hawaiian shirts – but just noticeable for a drunk person coming in to feel like something’s a little bit off. Today, the theme is 60’s – Noh’s choice, and in his words “just old fashioned enough to make them feel wrong if we all wear it”, though Kate’s fairly sure he’s using an excuse to blast the Ronettes out of their crappy speaker system.

“I hate this music,” says America, texting furiously. Kate has no idea who she’s texting. Actually she doesn’t have many ideas about any aspects of her life, but America’s kind of an even bigger mystery than Loki and they’ve all just learned to roll with it.

Noh looks pained. “But – “

“The drums!” says Loki, sitting cross-legged on top of the fridge (?). “Yes, w­­e know.”

Teddy hits the fridge just hard enough to make it shudder. “Leave him alone. He’s just being enthusiastic.”

“Yeah, well, I hate enthusiasm.”

“Of course you do, Loki. Of course you do.”

“Come on,” says Billy, wiping his floury hands across his apron. “Teddy, you’re totally dancing with me.”

“Uh, duh.” He leans down to wipe a smudge of tomato sauce from Billy’s cheek. Noh coos. America makes a face. Teddy and Billy respond by waltzing round the kitchen, forehead to forehead and completely out of time with the music.

Noh half-turns to Kate, but she shakes her head just enough for him to see. His expression dips, but only for a second, and he keeps turning smoothly until he’s facing David like that’s exactly what he meant to do all along, and offers his hand. David stares him down like he’s an alien, but he keeps grinning.

“Come on.”

David sighs. “I hate you.”

They set off together. David (per usual) is a technically excellent dancer even if he does look like he can’t believe he’s doing this, and Noh is fantastic, all hips and smiles. Kate bites back the jokes about Tommy and white hair that’s on the tip of her tongue, partially because she’s sure someone will find something to say about the fact that she’s joking about David dating one of her ex’s while he’s dancing with another one, and partially because she just wants to soak in the moment.

America bumps her with her hip, and she catches her breath. She didn’t even realise they were that close.

“Hey Princess, want to dance?”

There are lots of things she could say to that one. Things like _No, I’m meant to be the grown up one and right now we’re probably scaring off customers_ or _What is this Princess thing you keep doing and should it make me annoyed or kind of pleased and nervous_ or _Dancing? You? Have you hit your head or something?_ But those are all options involving relatively long words and America smells really good so instead she goes with “Yeah, sure.”

America loops an arm around her waist and pulls her hand up so it’s level with her shoulder, because apparently Kate’s forgotten how to do that. Then she spins her round and they’re swaying along to the music and she looking at her with curiosity and something else and Kate really, really needs to get a grip on this crush.

“Ahem,” says Loki. “I hate to be the enemy of all that is fun – “

David scoffs.

“ – But we just got two orders at opposite ends of town.”

“Well, I’m taking one,” says Noh. “Anyone else?”

“I’ll take the other,” says America, moving away from Kate and throwing on her jacket.

Loki throws his hands up. “Seriously? The one time there’s a chance for someone else to go out and about, and I still don’t get to go? I’ve complained more about this place than all of you put together. It’s my divine right to go this time.”

“Ok, a – I get to go because I’m the only one here who’s never been involved in a “vehicular incident” and b – you are never allowed to go places where fewer than two of us can see you at any one time.”

Loki scowls. “Vehicular incident? Couldn’t you just say car crash?”

“I had to cover the pancakes incident,” says America. Billy and Teddy turn matching shades of red.

“You know, Loki,” says Kate, struggling to unfluster herself (influster? Defluster?), “If you get really bored you could always, I don’t know, make the pizza?”

“Don’t worry,” says David. “As usual, I got this.”

*

“Tommy,” says Kate, not quite sure she’s seeing this right.

“Tommy,” says Billy, sounding a little like he’s confirming the apocalypse.

“Hey bro,” says Tommy, grinning. “Aren’t you pleased to see me?”

America raises an eyebrow. “Billy has a brother?”

“Yep,” says Loki with relish. “And he’s Kate’s ex.”

“Shut up, Loki. I didn’t even know you when I was with him, how do you know that?”

Loki grins and winks at Tommy and ugh, they are insufferable.

America pulls Kate away while Tommy rattles off a list of demands to Billy (it sounds a lot like he’s ordering three large pizzas for himself, but that can’t be right.). “Where’d David go?”

“He’s in the back room, freaking out.”

“David? Freaking out? Why?”

“Umm.” She struggles to find the way to adequately explain what crushing on Tommy can do to a person. “They have history. Complicated history.”

“What kind of complicated?”

“David thought Tommy liked him and he probably did but he’s a sociopath, and he moved way too fast, and then David was freaked out but liked him back and so he kissed him so Tommy accused him of moving too fast, and now David’s in love but thoroughly irritated and Tommy’s crushing but probably also planning to drive him mad for kicks.”

America’s shaking her head and almost laughing. “Your friends are too complex, Princess.”

 _They’re your friends too,_ she wants to add except – well, are they? America’s always there, but she hasn’t exactly changed her behaviour towards them since the day they met her, and it’s not like any of them really know anything about her.

In the backroom, David is manically organising their selection of ingredients.

“I’m fine. Don’t tell me I’m not fine.”

Kate rolls her eyes. “You’re not fine.”

“Dammit Kate.”

“Go out there and face your fears.”

“Why do people say “face you fears” all the time like it’s a really good idea? Fear is an evolutionary mechanism designed to keep us safe. Human beings were not built for facing our fears.”

“Then explain the fight part of fight-or-flight.”

He rolls his eyes behind his stupid sunglasses. “I could, but you’d accuse me of stalling.”

“David!”

“See? Fine.” He pushes past them and out into the main room. Kate doesn’t move. Neither does America.

“I love him when he’s huffy,” says Kate – and she’s whispering, she’s not sure why, except the cupboard is very small and it feels like when she was young and squashed into a hiding place with a friend during hide and seek.

“Do you think it’s going to go well?” murmurs America.

“I don’t know. Wait, listen.”

She hears Tommy’s chirpy little voice. “Hey David, loving the shirt and cardigan combo. Steal that from your grandpa?”

America winces. “Damn.”

“Poor David. He’ll learn.”

America makes a face that could mean _I hope so_ or _I doubt it_ or _I don’t care either way_ and reaches up behind Kate. For a brief surreal second, Kate thinks she’s going to lean forward and kiss her, and that the arm going up is just some suave thing, but then America pulls down a handful of candy bars.

“Do you keep a stash of candy for slow shifts?”

America smiles, and Kate thinks she might spot the trace of a blush. “Of course not. Loki does, though. What’s your poison, Princess?”

“Bubble gum.”

“Good choice.”  She unwraps a strip and holds it up between her fingers. “Open wide.”

This cannot be happening. She’s fallen down some strange rabbit hole and it’s almost certainly Loki’s fault. But she opens her mouth and America drops it in, and her smile is so cute-dangerous-wonderful that Kate almost forgets to close her mouth and chew. America takes her own strip and they just stand there, leaning against the shelves with their knees touching and stupid matching smiles. Well, Kate’s smile is probably stupid. America’s smile is all kinds of wonderful.

“Bubble blowing contest?” she says.

America twists her face up. “I’m not even sure I know how to blow bubbles.”

“Wait, really? Ok, seriously, you have to learn. It’s, like, a life skill. Just mash it all up against the front of your mouth. Yeah, like that. Then make a kind of stretchy bit with your tongue and – I’m sorry, the faces you are making right now are too brilliant.” America does an eyebrow thing that’s probably meant to be threatening, but it just makes her giggle harder. “Ok, now you’ve got that bit, open your mouth so it’s stretched out against the front of your lips. Yeah. And blow.”

America blows with furious concentration, and her face all scrunched up. And then she blows the biggest fucking bubble Kate’s ever seen.

“Shit,” she says, and even though she realises she sounds like an idiot, she says it again. “Shit.”

America pops it with one perfect fingernail and sucks it back into her mouth, looking nonplussed.

“Not bad for a beginner,” she says, trying to sound cool and not entirely dorky.

America smiles and chews. “I’m good with my mouth.” She says it so blankly, so neutrally, that it’s almost possible not to hear it as an innuendo, and for a second Kate panics that maybe she’s just got a dirty mind.

Instead she leans forward.

“Look, I’m about to possibly make an idiot of myself here, so if I am can you just, I don’t know, give me a sign? A hand signal or something?”

She raises an eyebrow but her hands stay firmly by her side, so Kate presses forward and kisses her, gently and not too deep. The rest of America’s body doesn’t move, but after a second she feels her kiss back, and she revels in that for a few seconds before she moves away to gauge her expression. Which is inscrutable. As always.

 “So. How was that? Good points, bad points, marks out of ten? Share your thoughts, when you can.”

America smiles. “You know, next time we do that, we should make sure we don’t have bubble gum in our mouths.”

Oh, right. Damn. She takes hers out and sticks it to the wall behind the shelves, which probably looks a bit overeager, but America laughs and does the same thing, and then they both lean forward by mutual agreement and then they’re kissing again and it’s brilliant. It’s not earth-shattering or whatever, but it’s probably at least the second coolest thing that’s ever happened to her.

“Are we really going to make out in the supply closet?” she says, feeling a little giddy.

“No. Firstly because it’s tacky.”

“Ok.”

“And secondly because we’re also going to make a joint effort to make sure that Loki doesn’t find out about this for as long as possible.”

“Ok,” though she’s fairly sure he already knows. Somehow. “You want to get coffee sometime?”

“Sure,” says America, and then she walks out. Kate composes herself for a minute and follows her. David and Tommy appear to be having an actual conversation, which is nice, though seeing as David is occupied and she was busy no one is actually bothering to make Tommy’s order.

“Coffee?” says Loki, eating olives out of a tin. “Really? Ask her to a movie, Kate Bishop. Far more make out opportunities.”

She hates him. She really, really does.


End file.
